Book It.

Do you remember Book It?  When I was in elementary school, kids were motivated to read by the promise of pizza.  You were given an official Book It pin and told that, upon completion of every book that you read, you would receive a star to affix to your pin.  When you filled the pin (I think there were six total star-spots per pin), you could redeem a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.  And, when I redeemed my Book It pin, it also just so happened to be the time when the were giving out free puppets of characters from "The Land Before Time" (which I've still never actually seen, by the way).  So, I got to go home with a full Book It pin (which I proudly wore on my sweat suit, because I was...cool?), a satisfied tummy and an official Littlefoot puppet (which, incidentally, was made from some sort of awful vinyl that caused my hand to sweat profusely).

These days, I sort of have to laugh at the fact that it only took six books to earn a pizza. (It also makes me a little bit sad that some people didn't get a free pizza because they hated reading so much that they didn't bother to work for their stars).  If I could get free pizza every time I completed six books, I would be able to do so every 5 or 6 weeks, at least.  And my books today are (generally speaking) much longer than they were circa 1988.

The fact that I love to read so much is helpful, as, at last count, I had more than 40 books in my house (not all in one place, of course) that I have purchased with every intention of reading.  I really would love it if I could finish all of them this year.  The fact that, just last night, I reserved NINE MORE BOOKS to be delivered to my library does not help.  But, several of those books are ones that I'd like to read but am not positive I want to own.

I had the joyous occasion of getting to eat lunch and read at Panera today for about an hour or so.  It was great.  First of all, they had their black bean soup (which, as I mentioned in a previous entry, I LOVE), so I knew that it would be a successful trip.  Then, they didn't mess up my salad (which, for whatever reason, is not usually the case), so I was all the more excited.  And, finally, I got to read a good thirty pages of one of my books (and no, I didn't read while I was eating).  My son was with a babysitter, whose services I'm trying to take advantage of while she's home from college (but she leaves next week...sigh).  Also, this was after a grueling workout at the gym, so I was feeling even better.  I found my mind wandering a bit, though, as I started to think about how my reading tastes have changed.  Last night, I was on Amazon sorting through autobiographies, books about ethics, cookbooks, photography books and a whole host of other non-fiction delights.  I would not have touched those with a ten foot pole a few years ago.  Conversely, I found myself struggling a little bit to come up with modern fiction writers with whom I am acquainted.  I have a few medical books that fascinate me, while I tried reading Nicholas Sparks novels, and found that they came up short (which, I know, some people will consider to verge on heresy).  But, if you ever catch me reading Civil War books, then you will know that the tides have really turned, as I am as unexcited about Civil War-related stuff as anyone can be.  Joe, on the other hand, will read that (and all sorts of political stuff) for hours on end.  Opposites attract, I suppose.

Anyway, having been inspired, among other things, by the book that I am just finishing up, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I began to author my first book today (which, as you may recall, is one of my goals for this year).  I have only written 850 words or so, thus far, but that all happened in under fifteen minutes, so I imagine that the next 55,000 or so will come more quickly than I might have expected, too.  (Ask me how I feel about this when I encounter writer's block at word 6,000 or so).  I will say nothing more on this book, though, as I want to keep its story a secret until I make much more progress.  Neener neener neener (or, nanny nanny boo boo, depending on your local dialect).

And, finally, in keeping with my decision to write down the things that make me happy with each entry, I will end here with today's list:

1. Mr. Sketch markers.
2. The words "conglomeration", "promulgate", and "posit".  (Don't ask me why, I just love those words).
3. My developing application of stick-to-it-iveness.
4. St. John, U.S.V.I.
5. Kraft Mac N Cheese (It may be the most processed food in the universe, but it is also one of the greatest comfort "foods" in the universe).